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Providence, RI (2019)

Farm Fresh Rhode Island

A new food hub expands access to fresh food while empowering a new generation of culinary entrepreneurs.

Investment

  • NMTC Amount: $13,000,000
  • Total Project Cost: $13,996,513

IMPACT

  • 117 FTE jobs
  • 284 construction jobs
  • 60,000 sq. ft. of real estate

Investor

Project Description

Farm Fresh Rhode Island is a nonprofit organization based in Providence with a mission to connect farmers and consumers and strengthen the local food system. Founded in 2004, the organization manages several programs to improve access to local food systems, including nine farmers’ markets primarily located in underserved urban areas with limited access to fresh produce, an online aggregation network that connects regional farmers with wholesale customers, a culinary job training program for at-risk youth, a token-based currency to facilitate access to SNAP benefits at farmers markets, and food and nutrition education programs for low-income families.

In 2017, Farm Fresh embarked on a $14 million project to redevelop a Brownfield site located in the Valley neighborhood into a new Food Hub – a 60,000 sq. ft. purpose-built facility to meet farmers’ wholesale and production needs and serve as a destination for food-related businesses and consumers.

MHIC provided $5 million of NMTC allocation alongside $8 million from two other CDEs that filled a financing gap and was essential to the project being built. Other capital sources include The City of Providence Business Loan Fund, The RI Foundation, public sector grants, and capital campaign proceeds from foundations, corporations, and philanthropists, among others.

The Food Hub increases physical and economic access to fresh food, strengthens local farms and food businesses by offering more ways to reach consumers, improves the impact of food production and distribution on the environment, and invigorates Providence and the regional economy. Because of its size and scale, it is a major catalyst in the Valley neighborhood revitalization: it generates over 280 construction jobs and 160 permanent FTE jobs. After its completion in late 2020, Farm Fresh now serves over 10,000 people at its year-round Farmer’s Market. The organization also provides over 3,400 annual nutrition incentives to low-income people, provides nutrition education programming to 10,000 WIC or SNAP recipients, and aggregates and distributes local food from over 120 farms.

MAP

Address: 498 Kinsley Ave, Providence, RI 2909

Census Tract: 44007002500

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